Page 23 of Duchess Material

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

He went on and on.

“Yes, I understand. I was flying us to bloody Belfast. Do you realise? Also, please stop terrorising my staff. Lucy thinks you’re about to sack her. Stop! I need them to be on their best right now not afraid of your moods!”

George wouldn’t speak to his father this way. Of course, George never would have defended Lucy so passionately. Lucy wondered if Winston would. She would bet, despite his easy-going persona, he would have. Lucy had been the protective one. Meanwhile, whether it was good or not, Natalie would take her father to task. She and the Queen were the only ones who would tango with him. And despite the frustration this caused, King Robert just went with it. He wasn’t insecure.

Lucy texted Winston they’d arrived. Something about them felt new. They had been through so much over the past month and half. Lucy couldn’t help but feel butterflies now. They hadn’t had sex last night, but now she wished they had. She’d make good on that feeling when she returned home. Instead, she’d spent the first night in his room, curled up in his arms with way too many dogs in their bed. It still hadn’t hit her they were a couple. She’d been nervous about it. Now, things felt good. She was happy to be his.

“God!” Natalie hung up. “Lucy, when we get to the house, you will call the press office and sign off on the damn release from us. I am so sick of my father’s meddling. He acts like I killed puppies live on air and need to atone for my sins.”

Lucy snickered.

“I am sorry he went off on you. He will probably apologise. He knows better.”

He knows better. It was always remarkable to hear Natalie openly chide her father. Lucy wished she could be so brave.

“Was it worth it?” Carolyn, Natalie’s social secretary, asked.

“Um… yes,” Natalie laughed. “We had hot, hot sex after. It was beyond amazing. I regret nothing. Cat’s out of the bag. For the first time in my life, I can openly date someone.”

Lucy realised it must have felt good. How wonderful it could feel to care about someone and show affection openly!

“Lucy, why are you smiling like that?”

“Oh, sorry. Ignore me,” Lucy replied.

“No, no, speak up,” Natalie said.

“Winston said he wanted to date me. I had to tell him I had no idea what dating felt like because I’d never done it since uni. George and I never got to go on actual dates, you know? It feels all new. I feel like a schoolgirl again.”

“You are grinning ear to ear. Look at you!”

“I am falling in love. Is this normal?”

“It’s amazing.”

“It’s great,” Carolyn added. “I’m with Natalie. This is amazing.”

“I want to go out with him and fall in love with him. I want to let myself. It’s frightening.”

“It’s wonderful. Let it happen,” Natalie said. “I felt all of it. You leave something you think is forever. You orient your worldview around a person. Don’t let yourself get in the way, darling. Lean into it. Love him. Embrace it. The two of you are so cute together. It will be wonderful.”

“I wasn’t aware this was a real thing,” Carolyn said.

“We’ve been sort of on the bubble. We ended up having this big moment and then things got complicated.” Lucy shook her head. “So, we’ve been not-together but still acting like we are. He said it was cart before horse and he was right, you know? Because we’re living like an actual couple—old married people—and yet we’re not together. So, we agreed we were partners… in every sense. And… it feels really good this morning.”

“He loves you,” Natalie said. “Ed called it.”

Lucy shrugged. “I only wish we had known it would work. I don’t know. Maybe it won’t.”

6

FROM PANTS TO PRINCE

For Immediate Release-

After much media speculation, we can confirm that Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales is in a relationship Mr. Edwin Winslow of Notting Hill, London. Clarence House will not respond further to questions, as it is personal matter. However, by confirming this relationship, we ask that the media respect the privacy of Mr Winslow, a private citizen.

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